Investigators said the attack happened near the Learning Resources Building about 7:30 p.m., a time of day when not many of the school's 6,000 students are on campus.

"I could believe it because not many people are here, but at the same time, I couldn't," said student Destiny Jones.

"I don't have any night classes. All mine are in the day, which I'm thankful for," said student Laura Jones.

The college said students got alerts via email and text message within minutes after police got the report.

Administrators at the school said they wanted all students to be thinking about safety. The campus has beefed up security in recent years, adding extra security cameras and call centers. Officials said police are nearby and ready to help out anyone who needs it.

"Any time the college is open, we will have a police officer escort a student or faculty member to their vehicle," said Tom Vasaghi of Metropolitan Community Colleges.

He urged anyone with concerns over safety to take advantage of that service.